Process for cleaning metal objects



Feb. 21, 1933.

R. B. BERG PROCESS FOR CLEANING METAL OBJECTS Filed Sept. 16, 1929 Patented Feb. 21, 1933 Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- nonnm: is. name, or AURORA, ILLINoIs, AssIe oR' T0 NATIONAL n'AIL JOINT CORPORATION, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS PROCESS FOR CLEANING METAL OBJECTS Application filed September 16, 19 29. Serial No. 892,897.

This invention relates to the re-formin g of metal objects such as the splice 'bars or fish -.plates for rail joints, or other metal objects that become worn and distorted by use, and that are susceptible of re-forming or re-shaping to make them suitable for further use.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved process or method for cleaning the splice bars or fish plates or other metal objects, as an intermediate step between the heating of the metal objects and the ultimate re-forming or reshaping thereof, whereby, to remove the dirt and scale and other substances from the metal objects before they are re-foi'med or reshaped, by the momentary direction of a powerful jet of water against'the heated splice bars or fish plates or other metal ob jects', thereby driving or forcing the dirt and scale, or other substances, off the surface of the bar or other object to be re-formed or reshaped, but without chilling the bar or other object sufiiciently to interfere with the subsequent re-forming or re-shaping thereof in the desired manner.

To these and other useful ends, the inven tion consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective of a rail joint having splice bars or fish plates of the kind that may be re-formed or re-shaped by a process or method embodying the principles of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of apparatus suitable for practicing'the said process or method of re-forming or re-shaping old splice bars or fish plates or other metal objects;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of a rail joint splice'bar before it is heated to the required temperature;

Fig. 4 is a similar cross section of the bar after it is heated; v

Fig. 5 is a similar cross section of the bar during the impingement thereon of the jet of'water;

Fig. 6 1s a similar section showing the bar 1 thoroughly cleaned and ready for re-forming or re-shaping. w I Asthus illustrated, the invention combar or fish plate, with. the result that the coat-' ing is cracked up and sealed off, the water and steam being driven through the cracks and under the coating, so that it is, in effect, blown off and forced off the surfaces of the splice bar or fish plate. Fig. 5 shows the coating cracked up and about ready to be forced off by the water and steam, and Fig. 6 shows the bar thoroughly cleaned and with no scale or coating thereon. After that, the bar. or fish plate may be re-formed or reshaped by any suitable or desired means, in any suitable or desired manner, depending upon what sort of re-formed or re-shaped bar or plate is desired.

Fig. 2 shows an apparatus suitable for the rected thereon. The treatment in this way with a powerful jet of water is only momentary, just suflicient to crack up and drive off the scale .and dirt and oil, 'formin the caked coating on the bar or plate, an

such treatment with water does not cool the bar or plate enough to interfere with the subsequent re-forming or re-shaping thereof.

This re-forming or re-shaping operation may be performed in a press 7 of any suitable character, or by any suitable or desired means, depending upon the size or shape desired for the re-formed bar or plate.

In the re-forming or re-shaping of s lice bars or fish plates, and other metal objects 10 jects are then put in the press or other means for l e-forming or re-shaping th the coating will seriously interfere with e desired results. 7 Various methods, such as brushing the bars or other objects with steel brushes,

after they are heated, have been tried butwithout the desired of and 've even been put in tumbling they and tumbled about, in an eifort to clean them, but

satisfacto these methods have not been ry. Therefore,'.by apowerfuljet of. watera instthes aoesofthebarsor other ob ects, after they have been heated to mperature, it is found that the coatmgofdirtandmstandmoreorlessoili in efiect, forced and blown of the surfaces the bars or other objects, leaving them clean for the su uent re-forming or operation. a action of the .water I even remove the metal scale which usually exists in a thin la r between the dirt and rust coating-and t e clean metal of the bar or other object but for the purpose of re forming or reshaping the bars or other obects, the removalof such scale is perhaps not of great importance, although 1t does, in fact, occur by the use of water in the manner e lained. In an even the water meth of cleaning, as escri does wash or blow oil the coating of rust and dirt and more or less oil, sometimes caked so hard on the bars or otherobjects that it is almost imible to scrape- 1t 05 with tools or steel glfshegthus leaving the bars or other obects clean and ready for the re-forining or re-sh pin operation. Wh le t e invention isshown and described n connection with splice bars or fish plates, it is obvious that this method of reforming and re-shaping old and worn metal articles can be emplo I objects of various kinds, without de rti from the spirit of the invention, a though it is more particularly valuable in connection Wltll the re-forming or re-shaping of old splice bars or fish plates. j

Ofcourse, plicebarsandfishplatesare er obgect is re-formed or re-' in connection with metal Ordinaril it is found that the bars or plates or 0 er objects are not cooled sufliciently, by the application of water, to in any way interfere'with the prompt re-forming 'orre-shaping of the heated and cleaned ob ects. However, if it is found that the application of water does at times chillor cool the metal-objects too much, they can be heated again to'therequired temperature, before inserting themin the press or die mechanism or other means by which the re forming or re-shaping operation is performed.

Among the advantages of this method are the following:

It permits the metal to flow .to its proper place within the die mechanism, of the absence k of any thick scale or coating which might prevent the proper flowing or distribution of the metal in the die. thermore, the re-formed or re-shaped bar or plate hasclean metal to metal contact with the rail when ut in place, because of the absence of any sca e or coating on the bearing surfaces of the bar or plate. Again, after the bars-are completely re-formed and finished, without any scale thereon, it is then very easy to see and detect cracks in the bars or plates. The

methoddescribed and shown is thus calculatedto increase the life of the dies or other means for re-formin or re-shaping the bars '01 plates. In addition, the water method described is less expensive than the other methods or p heretofore employed or progfised for this purpose. I

at I

claim as my inventionis:

The method or process of cleaning, surfaces, preliminary to re-fo or rs-shapmetal objects that have ome coat ed with dirt or rust, or other substances, caked on the surface of. the metalobjects to be re-formed or re-shaped, comgrismg the heating of said objects to rhig temperature, with said coating thereon, thereafter directing a strong jet of water u n the high] heated objects, thereby cracfibg up and orcing-ofi and washing away the and coat I 1 on said objects, thereby to facilitate the uent re-fo or reshap1ng of said ob'ects in the des' manner.

- Specification signed this 27th day of August 1929. e

ROBERT B. BERG.

subject to severe weather conditions, causing themto rust and become covered with dirt andsand, and, in addition, and oil is continually dripping from v and other ofthero stock. Thismixsandanddirtand' iao 

